Recent research efforts have focused on developing nanowire-based optical detectors. For example, superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) based on 100-nm-wide, 4-5 nm-thick niobium nitride (NbN) nanowires have been developed that exhibit good sensitivity (<10−20 W/Hz0.5 NEP), speed (<2 ns reset time), and timing jitter (<35 ps FWHM) at a detection wavelength of 1550 nm.
Nanowire-based optical detectors (such as SNSPDs) are being adopted widely for infrared photon counting and have potential in applications such as classical and quantum optical communication, near- to mid-IR studies of electronics, and for use in photonic nanostructures. To enhance performance in such applications, efficient coupling of the light source to the detector would be useful. Coupling efficiency can be enhanced by matching the detector active area to the incident optical mode, which can be achieved by non-destructive integration of the detector and the source. However, non-destructive integration of nanowire-based detectors and photon sources is not straightforward: the optical components involved (e.g., waveguides, photonic crystals, optical fibers, etc.) and the nanowire sensor itself are often very fragile and delicate.
Some previous studies have attempted to integrate nanowire-based detectors with other optical components. However, these attempts generally involve using large, bulky attachment chucks to couple optical components to a nanowires, which themselves are supported by large, bulky chips. The resulting integrated systems have been awkward to handle, have not exhibited high efficiencies, and/or have not been scalable to a large number of detectors.
Accordingly, improved methods (and associated systems and articles) for integrating nanowire-based optical detectors with other components, including optical components, are desired.